The latest generation
of PC radar sensors uses Ethernet to deliver higher resolution (1,024x1,024
pixels), faster updates, and easier installs. The hardware, actually made
by Koden, runs all the way from a 4-kW, 25-inch dome to a 25-kW, nine-foot
open array and is being adopted by a number of manufacturers like Northstar
and Maptech, each of which will apply its own interface.

Nobeltec’s InSight
2 implementation is the first I’ve seen in action, and it’s
quite impressive. The basic version, integrated into VNS (Visual Navigation
Suite) charting software, paints targets with dramatic clarity, either
stand-alone or overlaid, and has about every control and display feature
available on standard radars. Admiral software adds MARPA (and AIS) tracking,
multimonitor support, and even multi-PC support, the latter neatly enabled
with a simple Ethernet router. IR2s start at $4,400, including a copy
of VNS.